The Journies of Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green...

Beowulf vs. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight In the worlds of Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the journeys of two heroes, Beowulf and Sir Gawain, are depicted through the form of poems. The two stories have become two of the most important works of literature in the English history. In the two poems, both Beowulf and Sir Gawain face great challenges in their journeys as heroes. Beowulf embarks on a quest to defeat Grendel and his mother while Sir Gawain faces many difficulties on his search for the Green Knight. Although the main characters in Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight exhibit many of the same characteristics, the two poems have stylistic differences and differ in societal values. Written before the tenth†¦show more content†¦Although Beowulf is considered an epic hero and Sir Gawain a chivalric hero, both epitomize the idea of a hero by demonstrating loyalty and bravery. Beowulf is loyal to his lord by refusing to take the throne until Hygelafà ¢â‚¬â„¢s son, the rightful successor, passes on. Beowulf also exhibits bravery in his confrontation with Grendel by defeating the monster with no weapons. Sir Gawain demonstrates loyalty and bravery to King Arthur by accepting the challenge of the Green Knight when none of the other knights stepped forward. Loyalty and bravery are two qualities characteristic of a hero and no matter what type of hero they were; Beowulf and Sir Gawain epitomized these traits. Just as Beowulf was an epic hero and Sir Gawain was a chivalric hero, Beowulf is an epic poem and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a romantic poem. Written in two distinct time periods, the two poems also differ in structure and style. Beowulf is written in Old English while Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is written in Middle English. Beowulf is three thousand two hundred words long while Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is about two thousand five hundred words in length. Although Sir Gawain and the Green Knight resembles an e pic in its focus of Sir Gawain’s heroic deeds, the romantic poem is lighter in tone. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight also uses five short rhyming lines